"Blueberry extract improves effectiveness of radiation therapy for cervical cancer"

 

Radiation is one of the most common treatments for cervical cancer. University of Missouri School of Medicine researchers have studied in vitro human cancer cells to demonstrate that combining blueberry extract with radiation can enhance the treatment's effectiveness.>>>Read More On MedicalXpress>>>

Memory and thinking can be improved with exercise

It is a frightening thought to consider the possibility of losing your memory and ability to think clearly. Medical practitioners have been finding that exercising a minimum of twice a week is preferable to drugs for mild cognitive impairment reports Mayo Clinic. 

Dr. Ronald Petersen, the lead author of this study, has said it has been shown that regular physical exercise has benefits for heart health. Now it is also known that memory in people with mild cognitive impairment can be improved with exercise. Essentially what we are finding is that "What's good for your heart can be good for your brain."

With mild cognitive impairment there may be problems with memory, language, judgment and thinking. Often these changes are so mild they do not interfere significantly with the activities of daily living. However mild cognitive impairment may be associated with an increased risk of a progression to dementia which is due to Alzheimer's disease or other neurological conditions. Yet in many instances people with mild cognitive impairment never get worse and sometimes even get better. 

This study has been published in the journal Neurology. Exercise has been found to often be effective for the prevention and treatment of mild cognitive impairment. This is preferable to drugs and also benefits heart health. Prevention and complete cures of mild cognitive impairment are possible and so regular exercise is a good idea whether or not this condition is present.  
  

There may be health benefits from switching plant proteins for animal proteins

 
St. Michael's Hospital has reported that there may be health benefits from making a daily switch of one or two servings of animal proteins with plant proteins. This could lead to a small decrease in the three primary cholesterol markers for cardiovascular disease prevention.

Dr. Sievenpiper, who lead this research, says the study has indicated that replacing one to two servings of animal proteins with plant proteins daily may lower the primary cholesterol markers by approximately 5 percent. Good plant proteins include chickpeas, beans, soy and nuts. 
  
Past studies have demonstrated the cholesterol-lowering benefits of individual foods or of food groups. However, this study investigated the benefits of making substitutions of any plant proteins for animal proteins. As noted by Dr. Sievenpiper we now have more confidence than ever that plant-based diets from Mediterranean diets and vegetarian diets in the supermarket are heart healthy.

This study has been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. There has been an increase in interest in plant‐based diets for prevention of cardiovascular disease. Researchers have determined switching plant for animal protein lowers the established lipid targets low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, non–high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B. Replacing animal based proteins in your diet with plant based proteins benefits heart health.

 

Vitamin deficiency later in life is prevalent

Good nutrition is essential for overall well being throughout life. In elderly people vitamin deficiencies are seen often reports HelmholtzZentrum munchen: German Research Center for Environmental Health.

About 50 percent of people who are 65 years old and older have suboptimal levels of vitamin D in their blood. And about 25 percent of older adults have suboptimal levels of vitamin B12. Furthermore, in eleven percent of elderly adults iron levels were found to be too low, and about nine percent did not have adequate folate in their blood. 

Professor Annette Peters says that this study has confirmed the vital results of the last German National Nutrition Survey (NVS II) which showed there is generally an insufficient intake of micronutrients from foods. This is a highly significant issue, particularly in view of the growing elderly population. 

Most of the elderly people with suboptimal vitamin levels were very old, not physically active or frail. These groups have an increased risk for deficiencies of micronutrients. Older people should take vitamin-containing supplements and maintain a healthy and nutritious diet.

This study has been published in the journal Nutrients. It is of interest that regular and appropriately dosed micronutrient supplementation may help elderly adults, who otherwise are not able to follow dietary guidelines, to satisfy their requirements, and to prevent chronic diseases associated with malnutrition.

Your memory may improve with reading aloud

There is often a feeling that someone who is reading aloud to themselves may somehow be unstable. This is not at all necessarily true and in fact to the contrary reading aloud to oneself may be a good way to improve one's memory. 

The University of Waterloo reports that research has found that memory is improved with reading information aloud. Words are better stored in long-term memory when you speak text aloud. The most beneficial effect on memory has been observed to be from the dual action of speaking and also hearing oneself.

Colin M. MacLeod, who is a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Waterloo, says it has been confirmed by this study that both learning and memory gain the most benefit from active involvement. Memory is enhanced when an active component or a production element is added to it. 

It has been suggested that a part of the memory benefit of speech comes from taking the time to be personal and self-referential. There is also a production effect of various activities, such as writing and typing words, which helps to enhance overall retention of memory. Exercise and movement, such as seen when doing puzzles and crosswords, also seems to help strengthen memory.

This study has been published in the journal Memory.  A memory benefit has been observed from hearing onself. Better memory benefits have been observed from reading aloud oneself than from simply hearing another person read aloud. So don't be concerned if someone else thinks it's strange if they hear you reading something aloud to yourself because this after all may be helping you remember things better.

Cinnamon may help you fight obesity

Aside from tasting delicious cinnamon may have some significant health benefits because it may help burn fat. The University of Michigan has reported that cinnamon may help to fight against obesity. Cinnamaldehyde, which is an essential oil which gives cinnamon its flavor, has appeared to researchers to protect against obesity and hyperglycemia in mice. Researchers have wanted to develop a better understanding of cinnamaldehyde's action and determine whether it might be also be protective in people.

Researchers have observed that metabolic health is improved by cinnamaldehyde via direct action on fat cells. Cinnamaldehyde induces fat cells to begin burning energy via a process which is known as thermogenesis. Due to the increasing obesity epidemic, researchers have been investigating ways to induce fat cells to activate thermogenesis. 

Cinnamaldehyde may offer such an activation process. It should be easier to convince patients to  adhere to a cinnamon-based treatment versus a traditional drug regimen. Cinnamon is after all generally considered delicious by people. If this is proven to help protect people from obesity
it may offer patients an approach to metabolic health which is easy for them to adhere to.

This study has been published in the journal Metabolism. Cinnamaldehyde has potential metabolic benefits in people. Cinnamon is a delicious food additive which may activate thermogenesis. Therefore cinnamon may lead to tasty therapeutic strategies in the fight against obesity.

Trees can help you beat serious asthma attacks

Quality air is vital for pulmonary health and exposure to trees enhances the quality of air we breath. The University of Exeter reports that attacks of asthma are decreased in urban neighborhoods which are lined with trees. In fact people with asthma who reside in urban areas which are polluted are not as likely to be confronted with hospital admissions when there are a lot of trees in their neighborhood.

This leaves us with the consideration that increases in tree cover in polluted urban neighborhoods can improve respiratory health. In this study there was a very strong association with less emergency asthma cases in the most polluted urban areas which had trees. This has suggested that planting of trees could play a role in lowering the hazardous effects of air pollution from cars.

Dr. Ian Alcock, who is a research fellow at the University of Exeter’s Medical School, says his group wanted to help clarify the association which may be found between urban vegetation and respiratory health. Trees clearly remove air pollutants which can cause asthma attacks. In spite of possible allergenic pollen from vegetation which exacerbates asthma, overall Dr. Alcock and his associates found urban vegetation appears to do much more good than harm. 

This study has been published in the journal Environment International. Relationships between tree and green space density and asthma associated hospitalisations have been explored. Clearly there can be significant health benefits from environmental improvements in polluted urban neighborhoods.

Try mushrooms for good health and longevity

Researchers say that mushrooms are a very healthy food. It has been reported by Penn State News that mushrooms are loaded with antioxidants and that may have potential to slow down aging. Two antioxidants in particular, ergothioneine and glutathione, which are found in high amounts in mushrooms, may help to fight the aging process and nurture good health.
   
Robert Beelman, who is a professor emeritus of food science and director of the Penn State Center for Plant and Mushroom Products for Health, highlights the free radical theory of aging which is based on the belief that when our food is oxidized to produce energy there are many free radicals which are produced and they can be very toxic. 

Free radical damage has been found to be associated with many diseases of aging including heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's. The porcini species has been found to have the highest amounts of ergothioneine and glutathione of any other mushroom species. In Italy the porcini species of mushrooms is very popular.

This study has been published in the journal Food Chemistry. Mushrooms have been found to be a rich source of the antioxidants ergothioneine and glutathione. Certain mushroom species which are high in glutathione and ergothioneine are a very good dietary source of these significant antioxidants. We therefore see that eating certain types of mushrooms may promote anti-aging while nurturing good health. 

 

The risk of SIDS can be lowered with breastfeeding

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a dreaded entity. It has been reported by the University of Virginia that the risk of SIDS is dramatically decreased with two months of breastfeeding. The researchers have observed breastfeeding does not have to be done exclusively for babies to benefit.

SIDS is the leading cause of death of babies who are between the ages of 1 month and 1 year. In this study it was observed there was almost a 50 percent lower risk of SIDS in babies who were breastfed for at least 2 months. There was no such benefit with less than 2 months of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding for longer periods of time lead to more protection from SIDS.

Researcher Dr. Rachel Moon of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital has said it's really great to let mothers know that there is a powerful protective effect against SIDS with breastfeeding for at least 2 months. International and national initiatives to promote breastfeeding are supported by the researchers.

It is not clear why there is protection from SIDS with breastfeeding. It has been suggested that the immune benefits of breastfeeding coupled with positive effects on infant sleeping patterns explain why breastfeeding lowers rates of SIDS.

This study has been published in the journal Pediatrics. Breastfeeding has been found to be protective against SIDS. This is very significant since the leading cause of postneonatal infant mortality is SIDS. Clearly women should be encouraged to breastfeed their babies.

Nature offers a key to happiness

Leading a naturally healthy lifestyle with good nutrition, daily exercise, and adequate rest along with avoidance of drugs and alcohol generally helps in the search for happiness. Researchers have found that spending time in nature also generally nurtures happiness.  

The University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus has reported that the best in people can be brought out with time spent in nature. Holli-Anne Passmore, a UBC researcher, says there’s a lot of truth to the concept that spending time outdoors is associated with happiness. Passmore has said people can increase their general happiness and well-being by simply taking some time to notice the nature which surrounds them.

It has been documented scientifically that people generally seem happier and they may live longer when they live in greenspaces. This study has been published in The Journal of Positive Psychology. The study offers empirical support for the idea that involvement in nature offers an effective positive psychology intervention. So next time you feel sad try to find sometime to spend in nature.